Category Archives: Announcements

Theatre Company of Saugus prides itself on being a safe space and being intolerant of hate/bullying of any kind. We consider ourselves a theater family and a great place for people of all ages and backgrounds to explore the arts and in turn, themselves. We strive to be inclusive and support all citizens, patrons, and artists in our community and the surrounding area. As we all try to wrap our heads around the year that is 2020 – TCS needs to look at itself and ask, are we doing all we can do to be inclusive and supportive? And, we need people to tell us when we are not (especially if we think we are). No one will take on the mantle of change if they don’t know they need to do it.

While theatres are all trying to deal with the ramifications of COVID-19 and how it is impacting the end of this past season and the start of the next, we also need to be thinking about the black members of our communities who are suffering (and have been suffering) in innumerable ways. The senseless murder of George Floyd has set off a chain reaction throughout the entire country and the world. There must be change that happens, but many times, people don’t know how to start the process.

There are numerous ways to help individuals and work towards change.Support black-owned businesses in the Boston area.

• Restaurant List
• Companies List – BostonBlackBiz.com OR ShoppeBlack.com

How else can you help?

• Visit Black Lives Matter Boston to support local efforts or find out about the variety of ways you can help.
• Support Bail Funds for arrested demonstrators – Locally in the Boston Area or here’s a List of 30 cities in the US
• Educate yourself – here’s a Starter Guide of TV shows, movies, documentaries, and books that cover decades of information.

And, because we are a community theater, black playwrights to be aware of:

• 10 Major African-American Playwrights to Know from Playbill.com from 1998
• 10 Contemporary Black Playwrights to Know from ArtsBoston
• ABC List of Playwrights and Authors from the National Speech and Debate Association

Let people you know that you are ready to listen to anyone who is angry and frustrated and working towards change. Sometimes people need to know they can share and you will be there to listen. Sharing that you are an ally is a very important message to spread to those in your life. TCS has always tried to be an ally and to be inclusive. We hope this is now apparent to all our members, volunteers, patrons, and supporters.

Let us know how you think we can do better. Email us at tcsaugus@gmail.com.

#BlackLivesMatter #BLM #SayTheirNames

Thank you for joining us to make our community a better place!

Sincerely,
Theatre Company of Saugus, Board of Directors
Amanda Allen, President
Larry Segel, Vice President
Alicia Murphy, Treasurer
Jeffrey Bliss, Recording Secretary
Deirdre A. L. Shaw, Corresponding Secretary
Matthew Garlin, Member-At-Large
Mike Giusti, Member-At-Large
Allison Perry, Member-At-Large
Sean Perry, Member-At-Large

We can’t wait to see you in person!  But in the meantime, let’s participate in some playreading online.  Giving you a sneak peak at our plans for the 2020-2021 season.

As we are all still staying safe at home – and will be for some time more – TCS is planning an online series of play readings for our potential 2020-2021 season.

These play readings will be conducted via Zoom. All are invited to participate – reading parts in the show or just listening in. The sessions will be on four (4) Saturday evenings May to June 2020, each starting at 7:00PM.

Each Friday before a play reading, TCS will send out an email containing the links to both the Zoom meeting and to the script that we will be reading.

You don’t need to sign up in advance to attend and/or read, but it will be helpful for us to know how many people to expect for readers. If you have any questions or would like to sign-up for any or all evenings, please use the appropriate link below.

After all four play reading sessions have been completed – we will host a final Zoom meeting. This will go to Members only for our General Membership Meeting to discuss the proposed slate of shows, vote on a winter comedy, and approve the plan for the season.

Saturday, May 16 @ 7:00PM – Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson 
Saturday, May 23 @ 7:00PM – Spring Awakening
Saturday, May 30 @ 7:00PM – The Importance of Being Earnest 
Saturday, June 6 @ 7:00PM – Much Ado About Nothing

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Leonidas A. Nickole, aged 93.  He was the founder of the Theater Company of Saugus, then called the “Town Criers”, in 1968.  He was long honored by the theatre company as a designated Lifetime Member.  He was one of the longest serving and most influential members of the company.  He will be greatly missed.

Leo Nickole was a professor at Emerson College in Boston for many decades, teaching several generations of students.  He specialized in the history and practice of Musical Theatre.

TCS benefited from his role as an educator.  His subject and our avocation, theatre, were the same, and he had much to teach us.  He was always willing to share his knowledge and passion for theatre with us.  Professor Nickole was the organizer or presenter of a series of educational workshops that TCS sponsored over the past twenty years.  Most of these workshops were the inspiration for a show in that genre in the following season.  There were also dozens of general company meetings to which Leo brought guest speakers or performers, who he know from his extensive contacts on Broadway and the professional theatre, as well as from Emerson College.

He directed dozens of shows for TCS.  Since returning to TCS twenty years ago after a hiatus, he directed several Theatre Company of Saugus shows, including:

• Light Up the Sky (2001)
• To Kill A Mockingbird (2002)
• She Loves Me (2003)
• Evenings with Shakespeare / Taming of the Shrew (2005)
• Fiddler on the Roof (2006)
• From Broadway to Hollywood revue (2008)
• The Pirates of Penzance (2008)

Leo was also the producer or a production team member of many other TCS shows.  He served many years on the Board of Directors, including terms as Treasurer and President.  Leo continued to be active with us until a few years ago, serving as House Manager for most productions.

He was a founder of the New England Theatre Conference (NETC).  That organization grants the annual Leonidas Nickole award to an outstanding theatre educator.  An award in his name is also offered annually by the Musical Theatre Society of Emerson College.

The burial services were private.  A memorial service will be planned for a later date.

Click here for an article about his career at Emerson College.

Click here for the obituary.